Mobile First Digital Marketing

In part three of our four part webinar series, Transformation2015, we explored “Mobile First Digital Marketing.”

There’s been a lot of talk recently about “mobile-first,” and rightfully so. Customers have a longstanding and well-documented love affair with their mobile devices. As customers become more comfortable using mobile, their purchasing behaviors are becoming more fluid. They’re moving between devices seamlessly, and expecting a consistent, highly quality experience on every platform.

Satisfying mobile users is especially important because they’re highly motivated. Research shows 55% of mobile consumers want to purchase within the hour; 83% want to purchase within a day.¹

Keep 3 key components to gain a competitive edge in mobile for brand awareness, engagement and conversions.

1. Not Just Mobile-First, but Multi-Screen First

In today’s world it’s important that the entire marketing team, from writer to designer to developer, understand how the multi-screen revolution impacts digital marketing. From your web presence to emails, to your landing pages and CTAs, the need for multi-screen support is critical.

Research shows 90 percent of people move between multiple devices to accomplish their goals. Providing a consistent experience has never been more critical. Every shift to a new device means more potential for friction — and abandonment. This dynamic has major ramifications in all areas of marketing: content, website, search, email and social media.

2. Context Focused Design

Context-focused design emphasis delivers the right content to your users on their selected devices. In order for your digital marketing to be effective you need to know your audience and their preferences. So exactly who is your audience? Look at the data and ask yourself these questions:

• What devices are most used?
• Where in the experience are users on those devices bouncing, sticking or giving up?
• Are you delivering your message to a platform that your audience isn’t on?

Use analytics to understand the customer journey. From origination through conversion, usage patterns show how well you’re doing. What you learn about platform and device usage may surprise you.

For example, we recently analyzed a new client’s website traffic and discovered that visitors were most interested in two major areas. Our client was previously completely unaware of this traffic pattern. Analysis also revealed high attrition and a bounce rate of nearly 40 percent among mobile users. Such high numbers proved that mobile site was long overdue, and inspired a greatly improved new experience for mobile and desktop.

3. Design & Optimization Considerations

Given the need for a multi-screen experience to meet the needs of your audience, how might you meet that need? 66 percent of “Mobile First Digital Marketing” webinar attendees report they have already implemented either a responsive or adaptive framework for their website or landing pages.

In responsive design, you essentially design one framework that drives phones, tablets, laptops, etc. This is a common approach taken by many sites, particularly when budget or time is a primary driver. Adaptive frameworks, on the other hand, allow you to provide specific display options based upon fixed device sizes and orientations.  This kind of implementation works particularly well for sites that need maximum control over their presentation layer.

Ultimately, the decision between adaptive and responsive is less important than ensuring that your site/landing page is mobile-friendly.

So what are the top Mobile Marketing Takeaways for 2015?

• It’s a digital, multi-screen world. We must market accordingly.
• Site design increasingly drives digital marketing performance.
• Location is the new “cookie”.
• Mobile-friendly design improves search rankings.
• Content strategy must cater to the new customer buying journey.

For a more in-depth look at Mobile First, be sure to check out our full webcast.

AIS Media is currently hosting the new webinar series Transformation2015, focused on the definitive new trends driving digital marketing performance. Jumpstart a successful year with a performance-driven digital strategy for site design, content, email, search and social marketing and drive your top line and maximize ROI from every digital channel.

¹Nielsen and Google: Mobile Path to Purchase, Five Key Findings, 11/2013.